Finned heat exchanger element with slide bars



Feb. 3, 1970" R. 'c. EDWARDS "3,493,038

FINNED HEAT EXCHANGER ELEMENT WITH SLIDE BARS Filed Sept. 11, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l RAY g. sowmos Invenrcr ROITE MEYER FINNED HEAT EXCHANGER ELEMENT WITH SLI DE BARS Filed Sept. 11. 1967 Feb. 3, 1970 R. c. EDWARDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 7.

RAY C. DWARDS Inventor United States Patent 3,493,038 FINNED HEAT EXCHANGER ELEMENT WITH SLIDE BARS Ray C. Edwards, 101 Alexander Ave., Pompton Plains, NJ. 07444 Filed Sept. 11, 1967, Ser. No. 666,888 Int. Cl. F28f 9/00 US. Cl. 165-67 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A slide bar for attachment to the radiating fins of a heat exchange finned tube primarily for the purpose of eliminating noise caused by movement of the fin edges over the supports of the fin tubes in a heat exchange unit, and includes an attaching element on one section of the slide including a hook-like enlargement which is shaped so that it will be distorted when inserted into suitable opening in the fin and then springs into position in an enlargement of the opening to provide resilient engagement between the slide bar and the fins, and further includes a laterally extending section along one edge which is disposed at an angle of less than ninety degrees to the body of the slide bar prior to attachment of the slide bar to the fins so that when the slide bar is attached to the fins, said laterally extending section will be forced at right angles to the body of the slide bar into unanchored resiliently forced engagement with the edges of the fins.

This invention relates to finned heat exchange elements, commonly referred to as finned tubes employed in heat exchange units such as baseboard heating installations, and/or cooling units both employed for controlling temperatures in enclosures, and particularly to such units embodying slide bars to enable the tubes and their fins to move on their supporting guides under expansion and contraction due to temperature variances, without noise and without mutilation of the fins.

The finned heat exchange elements of the present invention are particularly adaptable for use in the Heating and Cooling Systems and Apparatus for Enclosures disclosed in Patent No. 3,244,223 issued Apr. 5, 1966, which provides a noiseless, draftless heating and cooling system, and with the employment of the heat exchange elements of the present invention in such systems the last vistage of noise will be eliminated, that is, the scratching or scraping noise caused by the elements moving on their supports under force of expansion or contraction caused by temperature variances.

While the finned heat exchange elements with slide bars are particularly adaptable for use in the heating and cooling apparatus of the patent above mentioned, they are equally adaptable for use in other heating or cooling apparatus wherein finned tubing is employed and supported upon suitable supports or brackets, since the present invention embraces an improved and simplified means of providing for ready movement of such units on their supports.

The installation of finned tube radiation, for the purpose of either heating or cooling, brings up a problem in the units of either expansion or contraction. This is particularly true in long sections or long installations involving inter-connected sections. The radiation elements are normally positioned with their edges on support shelves or brackets. The sliding of the fins over the brackets, during expansion and contraction will not, normally, cause any damage to the fins. However, noise can be created.

Because of this noise factor, various short cradle constructions have been used to embrace the lower edge of 3,493,038 Patented Feb. 3, 1970 the fin and serve as a guide shoe interposed between the finned edges and the supporting members of either the baseboard heater or the valance cooler. Installations of these cradles is time consuming and costly, and their use or need is eliminated by the present invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a finned heat exchange tube according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-section through the tube structure.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross-section clearly showing the manner of attaching the slides to the tube fins.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the slide.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a finned tube showing a modified form of the slide and its manner of attachment to the fins.

FIGURE 6 is an end view of the modified form of the invention.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section showing the slide in cross-section.

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the slide.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be noted that the heat exchange finned tube structure shown constitutes a tube 1, through which a heating or cooling medium is circulated and this tube 1 has a plurality of flat fins 2 mounted thereon at predetermined spaced intervals, and providing radiating elements which radiate heat or cold from the medium circulated through the tube 1.

In use these finned tubes are assembled in heating or cooling, or heating and cooling units for enclosures, and the finned tubes are mounted upon suitable supports with the edges of the fins engaging the supports, thus upon expansion or contraction of the tube under temperature variances, the fin edges moving on the supports make an undesirable noise, and sometimes the edges of the fins are mutilated by such movement, also due to the thinness of the fins, they are sometimes mutilated during handling of the tube units during transportation or installation. For the purpose of eliminating such undesirable noise and mutilation, a slide made of any suitable material which will move noiselessly over the supports and also protect the fins from mutilation is mounted on the fins, preferably at their corners.

The slide which is mounted on the fins 2 comprises a strip of suitable material comprising an anchoring protrusion carrying section 4 and a right angled extending fin engaging section 5 extending at right angles from one end of the anchoring protrusion carrying section as clearly shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 of the drawings.

The anchoring protrusion 6 extends longitudinally along the length of the slide 3 and projects laterally from the inner face of the section 4 thereof for insertion into suitable openings formed in the fins as hereinafter described. The anchoring protrusion 6 has its free edge shaped to form a hook-like portion 9 hereinafter called the hook. In the drawing this hook-like structure is shown in the form of a half arrow-head, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such a specific structure but any configuration of the inner edge, which will provide a hooking engagement with the fins 2 may be provided.

The fins 2 have openings 10 cut therein near the diametrically opposite edges of the fins and a distance inwardly from the ends of such edges equal to the distance between the anchoring protrusions 6 and the inner surfaces of the right angled section 5 of the slide 3. That is, in rectangular fins the openings are cut in the fins a predetermined short distance inwardly from the corners of the fins.

The openings 10 have anchoring element entrance extensions 11 which open out through the edges of the is to permit the anchoring protrusions 6 on the slides to extend into the openings. The openings 10 and enance extensions 11 are formed to provide what is in fect shoulders 11 which may be concave in shape as town in the drawings, and when the anchoring protruons 6 are inserted in the openings 10 the hook on their .ner end engage with these shoulders 12 and firmly anior or attach the slides 3 to the fins 2, to prevent ro- .ry or misplacing movement of the anchoring protruons 6 and to hold the slide 3 firmly against the edges E the fins. When the anchoring protrusions 6 are in place t the openings 10 the right angled sections of the ides will be held firmly against the edges of the fins hich extend at right angles to the edges provided with re openings as clearly shown in FIGURE 3 of the rawings.

Thus it will be seen that the slides 3 are firmly aniored to the finned tube with the outer smooth surfaces f the slide 3 projecting beyond the outermost edges of re fins 3 and provides smooth gliding surfaces for enagement with the supports (not shown) on which the us are mounted in a heat exchange unit.

While in the drawings the slide is shown as applied 3 square or rectangular fins, it is to be understood that 118 invention is not to be so limited, but may be applied fins of any shape where it is applicable.

A modified form of the invention is shown in FIG- IRES 5 to 8 of the drawings.

In the modified form of the invention, the slide 20 shown as comprising the anchoring protrusion carryig section 21 and the section 22 which extends at right ngles from one of the edges of the section 2]. for enagement with the edges of the fins 2 on the tube 1 Ihich are disposed angularly to the edges of the fins rovided with the anchoring protrusion receiving open- 'lgS.

The anchoring protrusion 25 extends inwardly from he inner surface of the section 21, and preferably along he entire length, although this feature is not a limiting pecific of the invention, The anchoring protrusion has ts inner edge shaped to form two oppositely disposed lOOkS, or hook formations 27 and 28 at its inner oppoite edges. In the drawings these two hooks are formed y a substantially arrowhead like construction to faciliate the easy entrance of the anchoring protrusion 25 nto the openings in the fins 2 and also to form a wedgeike gripping action upon the fins at the edges of the )penings (hereinafter described).

However, the invention is not to be limited to this spe- :ific structure as the hooks 27 and 28 may be formed n any suitable shape to form a binding engagement with he edges of the fins.

The anchoring protrusion receiving openings 30 are :ut in the fins a predetermined short distance inwardly from opposite edges of the fins as well as predetermined short distances inwardly from the corner of the fins. The ins 2 have anchoring protrusion entrance openings out :herein which open out through the edges of the fins and nto the openings 30. As shown in the drawings, the )penings 30 extend laterally of the edges of the entrance )penings 31 in both directions and form what is, in ef- Fect, two shoulders 32 and 33 on each fin for engagenent one by each of the hooks 27 and 28 of the anchoring protrusion 23, and thus form a double binding action between the anchoring protrusion 25 and the edges of the ins 2 within the openings 30 to prevent any misalignment movement of the anchoring protrusion 23 and the slide 25 relative to the fins.

The hooks formed upon the inner edge of the slide in both forms of the invention tightly hold the slide against the edges of the fins and hold the right angled sections of the slides against the fin edges which extend t right n le to the fin edge which a p ovid d wi h the entrance openings without any anchoring means on these right angled slide sections.

From the foregoing description and the drawings, it will be apparent that this invention provides a structure for attaching slides to the fins of heat exchange finned tubing which will permit silent movement of the fins over a support, prevent mutilation of the fins in handling and will firmly anchor the slides to the corners of the fins with a single anchoring structure which provides a firm non-relative movement between the fins and the slide.

It is to be understood that the binding or gripping members on the anchoring protrusion are not to be limited to the specific structures shown, but that any analogous structure which will accomplish the same function and purpose.

What is claimed is:

1. In a heat exchange unit including supporting elements for the unit, an elongated heating or cooling fluid circulating tube, a plurality of rectangular temperature radiating fins mounted on said tube in predetermined spaced relation longitudinally of the tube, each of said rectangular fins having an anchoring element receiving opening cut therein and opening out through the edge of the fin a predetermined distance from one of its corners, each of said openings comprising an entrance section and an inner enlarged section which extends lateraliy from at least one edge of the inlet opening and has its edges curved, slide 'bars constructed of semi-resilient material for attachment to said fins, each of said slide bars comprising an elongated body for engagement against the outer edges only of the sides of the edges of the fins through which said entrance sections of said openings open out, an anchoring member formed upon said slide bar and projecting laterally therefrom for insertion into the openings cut into the fins, a hook-like enlargement on the inner edge of said anchoring member, said hook-like enlargement extending at an acute angle outwardly and inwardly at its innermost edge and gradually decreases in cross-sectional area from its point of conjunction with the body of the anchoring element and at gradually increasing distance from the body of the anchoring element to provide substantially a line contact between the edge of the hook-like enlargement and the curved edge of the enlargement of the opening, so that when the anchoring element is forced through the entrance section of the opening, the hook-like portion will be distorted and spring into its gripping engagement with the fins after the entrance of the hook-like element into the enlarged portion of the opening, said slide bar having a section extending laterally from its edge at the corners of the fins, said laterally extending section disposed at an angle of less to the body of the slide bar prior to attachment of the slide bar to the fins so that when the slide bar is attached to the fins said laterally extending section will be forced at right angles to the body of the slide bar into unanchored resiliently forced engagement with the edges of the fins disposed at right angles to the edges to which the slide bar is anchored, thus preventing distortion and distorted strain on the slide bar during expansion and contraction of the heat conducting tube and fins.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,395,753 8/1968 Falso l6555 3,258,066 6/1966 Becher et a1. l6555 3,319,708 5/1967 Nelson l6567 3,384,168 5/1968 Richter l6567 XR 3,386,501 6/1968 Pastore l6567 XR MILTON KAUFMAN, Primary Examiner MANUEL KAUFMAN, Assistant Examiner 

